The Hard Truth
by irishangelleslie
Summary: This story is mainly about Joey. It takes place a few years in the future. Jen is still alive so pretend that the last episode of season 6 never happened. This is my first DC fanfic so please review.
1. Stormy night

This story takes place as if the last episode of season 6 never took place. Jen is still alive and living in New York with her daughter Amy.  
  
New York City  
It was a rainy Thursday evening and Joey Potter had just spent another long, exhausting day in the office. She walked out from under the overhang with her umbrella placed firmly above her head and started out the two blocks to her apartment on foot. Joey was looking forward to getting herself out of the uncomfortable shoes she had been wearing all day and cuddle up on the couch next to Trevor. Before she realized it she had reached her stoop and she quickly headed up the stairs to the door. Once inside she lowered her umbrella and began to shake off her coat when Jen walked into the hallway. "Joey, please tell me you didn't just get back from work."  
"Sorry to disappoint you Jen but there are a lot of young writers out there in need of a decent editor and I really can't keep them waiting," Joey said with a half smile as she started to walk up the stairs to her apartment on the second floor. "Right now what I am really looking forward to is a nice long bath and a good backrub."  
"That sounds like something I could use everyday. Ever since Amy was born I haven't had very much time to myself." Jen watched as Joey turned to walk up the stairs and she herself realized that there was somewhere she also needed to be.  
Joey fumbled around for her keys when the door opened. She looked up from her purse to see Trevor standing there looking just as handsome as ever. She smiled up at him before giving him a quick kiss on the lips and welcomed herself into the apartment. "You would not believe the day that I had. I must have read close to 300 pages of teen angst and I am completely exhausted. Maybe you could remind me why it is I took this job in the first pla.." Joey's sentence was cut short when she looked around the room to see a few suitcases next to the couch and close to all of Trevor's belongings boxed up. She turned around to face him with a look of question in her eyes. "What. What is all this? Are you going somewhere and just forgot to tell me about it?"  
Trevor closed that door and moved over to the couch. He took a deep breath before he made eye contact with Joey again. "I've been thinking.."  
"Oh, You've been thinking," Joey interrupted him pain evident in her voice.  
Trevor looked back down towards his shoes as if searching for the strength to continue. "Yes, I've been thinking and I realized that I've been unhappy," he looked up at Joey who had gone from her standing position to sitting on the recliner. He took another breath and continued. "and I'm not sure why but all that I have come up with is it has more to do with who I am then with you. I am unhappy with my life in general. I don't know where it is going and until I can figure that out I think it is best if I leave." For a long while both of them sat in silence not looking at each other. Joey didn't want to believe what she had just heard. Her boyfriend, the one person she thought she could depend on was leaving her because he was unhappy with his life. "Two years, Trevor. Two years we have been together and now you are telling me that you are unhappy with your life. Has this been going on for a while or is this a recent new development? I don't want to know, I just. Why now? I thought things were great and then this.. I don't know what to say, Trevor." She looked up at the ceiling, tears starting to form in her eyes and the realization that Trevor was leaving her was beginning to sink in. Her words came more quite and choked, "I.. I thought I made you happy.. I thought you loved me."  
Trevor looked at the crying form of Joey on the couch. "I do love you, Josephine." The sound of her name made her cringe as if he was trying to make this conversation into something less personal. He shifted in his seat before he continued, "I just can't be with you right now. You understand." It wasn't so much a question and more of a command, as if he was forcing her to be ok with this. He got up off the couch and picked up his suitcases and headed for the door. Without turning around he said, "I'll be back in the morning around 10 to pick up the rest of my stuff." And with that he was gone leaving a very confused Joey behind. 


	2. The next day

Joey sat there on the recliner for what seemed like hours allowing the gravity of the situation to sink in. She sat there trying to figure out what had just happened. 'How could he do this to me? After all that I've done for him, after all that I have given up.' She sat there and cried for another hour before she walked into her bedroom and slipped out of her work clothes. It was 4 in the morning by the time she had finally gotten to sleep. The remainder of her night was spent tossing and turning desperately trying to get comfortable in a very big, very empty bed. When the alarm went off at 7:15 the next morning, Joey nearly slept trough it. She weakly turned the alarm off and silently cursed herself as she got out of bed. Half awake, she walked into the kitchen and tripped on a box. "Damn it!" She yelled as she hopped on one foot. As soon as the pain subsided she realized just what it was she had tripped over and the events of last night replayed in her head. Tears filled her eyes as she walked towards the phone. She picked up her black address book and flipped it open to M. Quickly she dialed the only number on the page. The phone rang two times before someone was on the other end.  
"Hello?" A man, who sounded as if he had just woken up, asked from the other end.  
Joey took a deep breath before answering. "Hello, Mr. Mooney?"  
"Yes this is him."  
"Hello Mr. Mooney, this is Josephine Potter, your editor. I was just calling to inform you that I will not be able to make our meeting today but I would very much like to reschedule is it is alright with you?" A feeling of surprise came over Joey as she realized how calm she had just sounded, which was very much unlike how she felt.  
"Yes, Ms. Potter that would be alright. I'm leaving town for a couple of weeks but I will call your office as soon as I return." With that the line went dead and Joey had the entire day to herself. She sat down at the kitchen table for a while trying to think of anything but Trevor when she remembered he was coming back to pick up his things. He would probably be expecting her to be at work and she couldn't let him know how badly he had hurt her so she decided she would leave before he got there. She quickly took a shower and got dressed. She picked up her keys and walked out of her apartment wondering what she would do with her time. Caught in her own thought she didn't even see Jen holding Amy at the bottom of the stairs and she almost ran right into them. Without thinking about who it was she shyly said, "I'm so sorry," and was about to continue on her way when Jen held out her hand and touched Joey's arm.  
"Joey, are you feeling ok?" She asked with a look of sincere concern in her eyes.  
"Sorry, Jen. I didn't see you there. I must have been caught in thought." Joey looked up at Jen, trying her hardest to look all right and forcefully stated that she was fine, just a rough morning. Jen didn't believe her for a second and before Joey knew what was happening Jen had dragged Joey into her apartment.  
Jen's apartment was very similar to Joey's with the exception of the wild colored walls and the baby stuff scattered all over the floor. It had a sort of homey feeling to it, something that only Grams could have accomplished. Jen walked over to the crib and lay the sleeping form of Amy in it before returning to the couch where she left Joey. "So, tell me what's wrong with you. And don't tell me it's nothing because I think that I know you a little better than that."  
Joey scanned the walls with her eyes and suddenly came to the conclusion that there was no way out of this conversation. Her eyes started to tear up as she looked for the words to begin. Before she even started Jen was by her side holding her in an embrace and allowing Joey to cry into her shoulder. Between sobs Joey managed to get out what had happened to her the night before. "And then.. He just left me Jen. I don't.. I don't know why... He just said, said that he wasn't happy." Jen wiped a loose strand of Joey's hair and tucked it behind her ear. "I just miss him so much it hurts." For a long while Joey just cried into Jen's shoulder until the tears would no longer come out. Joey sat up and wiped the remainder of her tears off her face and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face. After wiping it away she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying and she had bags under her eyes from the night before. "I'm a mess." She quietly confessed to herself. She walked back out into the living room to see Jen bouncing Amy up and down on her knee. Jen looked up at Joey and gave her a half smile.  
"Joey, I think the best thing for you right now is something familiar and I know just the thing. I am going into Capeside for a week or two to visit with Jack and you should come along." Jen commanded more then asked. She got up from the couch and looked at her watch, 11:30. "We better get going if we are planning on getting there for dinner. Let's go get you packed."  
Joey stood there in shock as Jen walked towards her. 'What had just happened,' she wondered to herself. Jen grabbed Joey's hand and pulled her out of the apartment and up the stairs to Joey's. "Jen, I can't go with you," Joey protested all as she walked up the stairs. "I have work." Joey knew that was a lie. Her boss had been trying to make her take a vacation for months and since Mr. Mooney was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks it was the perfect opportunity to take it. Once at Joey's apartment door Jen looked over in Joey's direction and saw that she was deep in thought. It appeared as if she was contemplating something, probably whether or not she should go back to Capeside. Jen waited for a half second before she snapped her fingers in front of Joey's eyes, instantly bringing her back into reality.  
"Space cadet, I kinda need you to unlock the door so we can get in. Amy's not getting any lighter." She watched as Joey registered her comment and pulled the keys out of her purse. She fumbled around with them as she unlocked the door and welcomed Jen inside. Once inside the first thing Joey looked for were Trevor's boxes, which had already been removed from the floor. Joey quickly packed up all of her things, gave one last look around her apartment and headed out the door with Jen by her side. 


	3. The Arrival

The drive to Capeside wasn't that bad. Amy slept most of the time, which was a blessing in itself. They both took turns at the wheel and managed to reach Capeside city limits by 5:45 that evening. As Joey drove in to town she couldn't help but remember the last time she visited, which was a little over two years ago. She wondered how she could have let so much time pass between visits and was anxious to see her sister again. She snapped back to reality as she drove past the Icehouse, refurbished and open for business. And from what she could tell a very popular place to eat. She looked over at Jen with question in her eyes. "Did you know the Icehouse was reopened?"  
Jen looked at her from the book that she was reading. Her eyes quickly moved to Amy who was asleep in the back seat the whole time wondering how much she should tell Joey. "Yeah, I knew it had been reopened. Almost two years now." She said as her eyes drifted back to her book. She was silently hoping that Joey wouldn't want her to go into any details, after all she had made a promise to a friend.  
Joey was stunned, two years and no one bothered to tell her that her old family restaurant is back open. "Why didn't you tell me, or for that matter why didn't Bessy tell me?" She questioned, not really expecting a response. "So, where do you want me to drop you off?" Jen placed her bookmark in the book and closed it before turning to Joey again. She looked back just in time to see her baby start to stir.  
"You could take me to Jack's house and we can go from there, I am starving. And I am pretty sure Amy is too." Said Jen as she reached back to her now a wake baby.  
Joey thought for a minute and agreed, "That sounds great, one problem. Where does Jack live?" She asked as she realized that she had no idea, how could she have lost touch with so many people? Jen gave Joey directions to the house and they were there in a matter of minutes. Jen got out of the car and stretched her legs before crawling into the backseat to pick up Amy out of her car seat. Jen pulled Amy's dipper bag onto her left shoulder and began to walk up to the front door. She shifted Amy slightly as Joey rang the doorbell. Jack quickly answered the door and a huge smile came over his face as he recognized his guests. 


	4. Jack's New Life

"Jennifer Lindley, late as usual," He said pulling her into a big hug, being very careful not to crush Amy. "But just as beautiful as ever," he added watching Jen's smile grow even larger.  
  
"And you, Jack McPhee, just as sweet as always." She handed Jack the bag she was carrying and then shifted Amy to her left side. "I believe you have meet my friend, Joey Potter."  
  
He turned his attention towards Joey and pulled her into a very tight embrace. "Joey, It's so great to see you. It's been forever. and you look great." Jack said as he pulled her back to arm length and looked her in the eyes. "How have you been?" Joey looked down at the ground and her smile faded from her face. Jack noticed the sudden transition in Joey but before he had a chance to ask her what was bothering her Jen interrupted.  
  
"Jack, are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to let us in.. I am just dying to see what you've done with the place since I've been her last." She walked past Jack and into the house. "Don't get me wrong. I loved all the boxes scattered across the ground but you could do better." Jack stared at Joey for a second before grabbing her hand and ushering her into the house.  
  
The house was beautiful, just the kind of house Joey imagined that she would one day live in. It was two stories high and the stairs leading up to the second floor were to the right as you walk into the house. The floors we wooden and were covered in, what looked like, very expensive rugs. "This house is perfect, Jack. Did you do this all by yourself?" Joey asked in awe as she walked through the door into the kitchen. "You kitchen is bigger then my apartment." She called to Jack who was still standing in the living room with Jen. She had passed him Amy and excused herself to the restroom. Joey walked out the other door of the kitchen into the dinning room and into the living room again. She sat down on the leather couch and looked back up at Jack. "How does a high school English teacher afford a wonderful house like this?"  
  
Jack took a seat in a chair across from Joey and bounced Amy up and down on his knee. "Well, actually I can't. There is no way I would be able to live in such a beautiful house alone, nor would I want to. I live with Doug." Jack saw a huge smile come across Joey's lips and he looked back down at the now giggling Amy.  
  
"You live here with Doug? Doug Witter and you are together? That's great.. How is Doug?" Joey asked with a tiny feeling of guilt. She wondered how she had lost touch with the people that meant the most to her. She looked back down at her hands and Jack could tell something was really bothering her.  
  
"Joey," he said as she looked back up at him. "What is it that has you so down?" But before she had a chance to answer Jen came back into the room and suggested that they all go and get something to eat. Which, was quickly followed by everyone exiting the house towards the car. "So, where are we going to eat?" Asked Jack as he got into the driver's side of the car.  
  
For a second no one said anything, but Joey suggested they go to the Icehouse, because she hadn't been there in years, and Jack pulled the car out of the driveway. Jen quickly got Jack's attention and questioned Joey's choice of restaurant in a whisper so that Joey didn't over-hear from the back seat. "Jack, she doesn't know about the Icehouse and I promised him that I wouldn't tell her."  
  
Jack looked back at Joey and then up at Jen before replying, "Look, Jen. She is going to find out eventually and I think that she has a right to know seeing as it was her old restaurant." Jack focused his attention back on the road and Jen crossed her arms and sat looking out the window next to her, not wanting to admit her defeat. A few more minutes of uncomfortable silence and they pulled into the Icehouse parking lot. 


	5. The Restaurant

Everyone got out of the car and started up towards the front of the restaurant. Once they got closer Jen started to walk ahead of them. Desparate to keep her friends secret, she quickly gave the hostess her name in hopes that if her friend was listening he wouldn't hear Potter. After she gave the name she walked back over to Joey and Jack who were sitting down on a bench. "The hostess said it would be 15 to 20 minutes," Jen said as she took a seat next to Joey and took Amy from her.  
  
The next 15 minutes passed fairly quickly filled with conversation about Joey's life up until now. She was busy describing how she got her job as an editor when the loud speaker chimed, "Lindley, party of 4 your table is ready." The walked up to the hostess stand and was escorted to a booth in the back. They all sat down and Joey let her eyes scan over the entire restaurant.  
  
"This place is amazing. The pictures of all the sailboats give the whole inside this feeling of life." She exclaimed as the waiter came over to take their drink order. Jen, realizing Joey was a smart woman and could figure out, based on the pictures, who owned the Icehouse she quickly changed the subject.  
  
"Jack, what have you been up to lately? I'm sure Joey is just dying to know about." Jen was cut short when she saw her friend standing right behind Joey.  
  
"I thought it was your name I overheard on the loud speaker, how have you been?" Joey took in a deep breath and turned around to see her old love, Pacey Witter. Pacey, realizing Joey was there stopped talking altogether and stared back at her awe struck. They stared at each other for w minute or two before Pacey broke the silence. "Jo, you look great."  
  
Joey stood up and pulled Pacey into a big hug. Resting her chin on his shoulder she whispered into his ear, "So do you." They both pulled back and their eyes locked but again they were interrupted. This time, by Jen.  
  
"Pacey, why don't you sit down and catch up." Pacey looked up at Jen thinking about the proposal and took the seat next to Joey. The four of them talked for hours about what was happening in their lives and it wasn't until Amy started to cry that anyone thought of leaving. "I really need to get Amy home, she is getting restless and I could use some sleep too."  
  
Jen and Jack got up to leave and Joey stayed behind with Pacey. "I'll be right there ok?" Joey said to Jen as she walked away. She hugged Pacey again, still in shock that he owned this wonderful place. "You've really done great for yourself, Pace. I just wish I could have been here to see your dream come true." She let go and walked out to the car where Jen and Jack were already waiting. 


End file.
